The ACT government has announced over the next week it will release an open tender ahead of its independent inquiry into the future of the ACT clubs industry.
During a doorstop interview on Thursday, Minister for Gaming Reform Marisa Paterson said the purpose of the tender is to seek “appropriate skill sets” to help the government with the inquiry.
“Economics or business transition skill sets would be strongly encouraged to apply. It may be an individual, it may be a group of individuals, or a consultancy, but [we’re] really looking for the appropriate skills to be able to do this really important work,” she said.
Paterson said the inquiry will explore ways for clubs to diversify their revenue streams and reduce reliance on gambling revenue.
“The ACT government is committed to addressing the harm caused by gambling. A key part of that work is supporting the club sector to move away from reliance on gambling revenue, so the industry can become more sustainable and continue to thrive in ways that benefit the entire community,” she said.
Specifically, the inquiry will examine whether possible changes to regulatory or tax settings can better support the establishment of alternative revenue streams for clubs; and skills and training requirements for club sector workers to support repositioned industry activity or workforce transitions.
The inquiry will also identify if future uses of club-owned land can provide community benefits, including affordable housing, aged care and supported accommodation. The economic and social contributions of the club sector will also be measured to inform the economic analysis, the government said.
“Clubs play an important role in fostering community connection, we want to work to see a sustainable club sector in the ACT. That means working with them to transition to different, more sustainable business models,” Paterson said.
Since 2016, the ACT government has been slashing the number of gaming machines in the territory from 5,000 to 3,500, which it hopes to achieve by July 2025.
According to Paterson, the inquiry will further progress the ACT government’s goal of 1,000 gaming machines in the territory by 2045.
“We’re already on track to reduce gaming machine authorisations to 3,500 by 1 July 2025, down from 4,956 in 2018. This reduction has been supported by targeted assistance to help clubs diversify their operations,” she said.
“While many clubs have made great progress in diversifying, there is still significant work to be done – this inquiry is aimed at understanding what that work should involve. This will include developing a 20-year roadmap to support the transition of the sector.”
The inquiry into the local clubs sector has been welcomed by the clubs sector.
“The not-for-profit club sector in Canberra is a fundamental foundation stone of the social cohesion of the ACT community with its support for and key role in the sporting, cultural and social fabric of our community,” ClubsACT CEO Craig Shannon said.
“We are confident that the inquiry will provide transparency to government of the importance of our clubs and the need to maintain their sustainability into the future.”
Parties interested in participating in the open tender can register here as a supplier and support a response to the request for quotation, when it is released.
The independent inquiry is slated to begin mid-year, and the government has committed to making the final report public.
ClubsACT questions youth gambling data
Elsewhere in the territory, ClubsACT is taking a stance against The Australia Institute’s latest research on gaming, casting doubt on the accuracy and quality of the findings. The research suggested that nearly one in three Australians aged 12–17 engage in gambling activities, with claims that these behaviours persist into adulthood. While Shannon agreed addressing youth gambling is crucial, he believes the report’s broad categorisation of gambling could “inflate participation rates and misrepresent the severity of the issue”.
“Overstating the prevalence without considering nuances can lead to reactionary policies that may not effectively target the root causes,” he said.
“Education, parental guidance, and targeted interventions are more effective than broad-stroke regulations that may inadvertently push gambling activities underground … these sorts of reports should not be cynically used to paint broad brushes and impose misplaced regulatory outcomes across the community.”